1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the art of agriculture, and more specifically to an apparatus for shredding trash plant stems which remain standing in a field after an agricultural product has been harvested from the plants.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention constitutes an improvement to an apparatus disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,796, entitled "GATHERING PLANT TRASH", issued Jul. 17, 1984. My prior apparatus automates and greatly facilitates the uprooting and shredding of trash plant stems from row crops such as cotton and pineapple that remain in the ground after the agricultural product has been harvested from the plants. This operation has previously been performed manually in a highly labor and time intensive manner.
My prior apparatus includes vertically stacked pairs of parallel, frictionally engaged contra-rotating uprooting rollers which are carried by a frame that is towed behind a vehicle. The uprooting rollers are tilted forward such that when a trash plant stem enters the nips of the rollers, the stem is uprooted and moved rearwardly to a shredder which includes a plurality of vertically stacked cutter units that longitudinally shear or shred the stem into small sections which are scattered onto the field. The shredded stems are sterilized by ultraviolet rays in the sunlight, and allowed to biodegrade and fertilize the soil.
Although generally quite effective, my prior apparatus is vulnerable to accumulation of shredded debris in the spaces between the rollers and the shredder, as well as in the shredder itself. This can cause blockage and stoppage of the apparatus, as well as accelerated wear and/or damage to the rollers caused by abrasion with accumulated debris.
Another limitation of my prior apparatus is that the assembly by which the apparatus is attached to a vehicle for towing is relatively inflexible in the vertical direction. As a result, the apparatus can be jarred or damaged by abutment of the lower portion thereof against mounds or other hard upstanding irregularities in the ground surface.